Burtsbluesboxes

Hey Neo, thanks for starting the annual Halloween thread, it lit a bit of a fire under my ass to get recording. Thought you were smart buying those discount batteries again huh? I never really got down the delta blues on my 6 stringers, seem to have nailed it taking up slide on these homemade guitars. More to come don't die too soon!!

Exactly, more of a creepy somber atmosphere, after all the Zombies have won. This is what I love about cigar box guitars, alone they're so expressive. A little delay and reverb just to dress up the sound a bit. This thing has a hell of a crunch distorted!

Thanks Jamid, it's basically just a test run, soundtest trying out a newly built guitar. It needs a little fine tuning still (and a bit more practice as I usally play on a 3 string with lighter gauge strings) but I'm happy with it. Ethereal is a good word, I was thinking of a burned out post apolacalyptic wasteland with a lone survivor seeking shelter traveling along a dirt road just out of range of the zombies nearby but within earshot. I wanted to be sure I got something up for the Halloween thread this year! More to come. Off to check it out now :D

So your a school teacher, I'm an elementary school custodian, I see the apocalypse!! Thanks Danke, I just finished the guitar Saturday so I could bring it to a luthier show Sunday where I was one of 2 cigar box guitar luthiers showing. Talk about raw that's why I called it lo fi ;) its strung with the lower 3 strings Earnie Ball Mammoth slinky 12 gauge, I have to look to tell you the exact string gauges used but its like 100 on the bass 62 on the E 52 B and 48 E, strung heavy for that bone rattling bass. Wait til you hear it distorted.

Hey Danke, I know you're a bluesman B-) I may revisit your Dirty roads loops for something new on homemade guitars. These internet trolls don't bother me, occasionally they wander out from under their bridge in boredom to harass the rest of us having fun. Just finished "The Angel" a 27 inch scale (not sure the metric conversion) white coffin electric guitar, the mate to my black coffin guitar, working on something for halloween with both, each containing my own handwound pickups. I could see the Tarantino feeling, maybe this will end up in one of his movies then I'll be rich and famous and can build and play guitars instead of work! LOL! :)

JOE!! It really all started here for me, I was away for a time but did check in, nightmare using mobile internet! How you doing? If you see my stuff on FB you know I'm doing well, kind of have become a rockstar in the homemade instrument community. Funny I was thinking about our collabs this morning talking with a local musician that does Graveyard blues, and Once was exactly the song! I'm in the middle of wiring up a coffin guitar with 2 more halloween type ones coming next. Definitely need to work together on some new material. One is getting a bass guitar string with 3 regular guitar strings, should be very interesting. We need something in time for the annual Halloween thread, scary enough to make up for my absence last year. I have a Luthier show the first week of October, 1 of 2 builders, very exciting. Sold guitars at the first CBG festival in this area, kicked ass and had an absolute great time. I'll message you later see if we can't get something started. These people have ruined me, I only use handmade guitar accesories now!! Preinstalled mojo ;) So happy to hear from you Joe! I'll be in touch.

Hey Dan! These people have ruined me!! I don't touch my production guitars anymore, except my bass, and fell in love with the hand crafted guitar slides and picks, the production ones lack mojo. Had a blast vending at Maine's first cigar box guitar festival, did very well and met some great people. You guys in Pennsylvania just had one this weekend, and made the Guiness book of world records for most people playing cbgs at once, Bad to the Bone. Homemade instruments have become a big thing lately. I finally made that gourdtar and two gourd amps (one sold), I remember the painting you had a few years ago of a gourd dulcimer. Finally got home internet again so I can participate here once more. Inspirational is very good :D Maybe we'll have to work together again. This guitar was one of the first made, still my fav after a few years. Oh yes, there'll be more, just deciding what to upload next, while I play around and record more. I need to get back into this digital production stuff, been away from it for quite a while. Good to see you Dan!

I'm hooked on these homemade guitars and accessories! Monday I should be getting an order of hand carved picks made from bone, buffalo horn, and various wood burls. Typically they're tuned in fifths making them very simple instruments to play. Cigar box and other homemade guitars are the granddaddys of the blues, check out the history on 3 string guitar dot com, Red dog Guitars. Loads of information. Theyre typically made from found or scavenged items, poor mans guitar. Blues 'til your blue as a smurf! I'll record one on my cigar box amp next. Thanks Bilbozo

Trust me, you don't want me to sing LOL! I've been checking the acapellas to see if I could work with anything like I used to here. Seems singers are hard to come by. Harmonica would be great!! Check out Juzzie Smith on you tube, one man band. Amazing blues, harmonica player.

Didn't reconize me at first huh? LOL! Been a while and quite a trip! That's one thing I love about the homemade instrument movement, the raw imperfect nature of it all. It's ok not to be all polished and studio perfect, it's about music,art and expression. I hardly touch my production guitars anymore, even production picks and slides feel dirty to me, in favor of handmade items. Seems to have mojo preinstalled ;) I played a tune on my cigar box amp as a demo people seemed to love on fb, I'll rip the audio from the webcam video to upload here. Very happy to be able to interact here again and see my old friends still around doing their thing. I'll be needing some fresh tunes to listen to at work too. Good to see you and thank you Leon :D

Crafter of fine instruments is a stretch hahaha but I do love the raw, gritty nature of them. Even starting to wind my own magnetic pick ups. Careful of them leeches and alligators, do you hear banjos? Paddle faster!!!! It has been hot lately, seeing what's to come I can't complain. Thrilled to be back and checking out all the great homegrown music here again. Thanks Steve, great to see you guys all again. Try this site on your phone, you think halloween is scary!!

Thanks :D Bit of fun improv on my fretless 3 string guitar that was paired with an image.

Have at it :p Post apocalyptic does seem to fit.